The Netherlands: Utrecht, 12 May 2009

Companies need to continue to invest in the economy - not just at a "macro" level, but also at the level of individual employees' training and development. That's according to Hans de Boer, entrepreneur and advisor to the Dutch government, who spoke at a recent Fujitsu Executive Discussion Evening in Utrecht.

"With knowledge as one of our key assets we need to ensure we exit this economic downturn in revitalised fashion," he said. "Just moaning about the economy is not a recipe for success."

Also speaking at the event, Olympic gold medallist Maarten van der Weijden focused on the similarities between the worlds of competitive sport and business. In both, "one needs to closely observe and outsmart one's competitors," said the swimmer, who beat cancer to win the 10km event in Beijing last year. He added that both disciplines also require hard work, passion and a never-ending ambition to improve.

About Fujitsu Executive Discussion Evenings

EDEs are executive forums featuring leading industry speakers and tackling board-level issues. Over 30 EDEs ran in 2008 across the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Ireland and Spain.